I think EVGA only makes the 1 GB version in External Exhaust. More than likely it would be louder but the benefit is that it does exhaust the air out of the case. So maybe it would keep the ambient temperature lower.

If the ambient temp of your case is pretty cool and has plenty fans/airflow I'd go with the non-external exhaust since it's quieter. It's cases that have few fans and little airflow that may benefit the most from the external exhaust.

The external exhaust cards typically have those squirrel cage fans that have to spin very fast to get good airflow and they can make a lot of noise once they get going.

The other card has a standard fan that can typically move a lot of air without making too much noise. But they mostly circulate the air inside the case and don't vent much of it out.

If the ambient temp of your case is pretty cool and has plenty fans/airflow I'd go with the non-external exhaust since it's quieter. It's cases that have few fans and little airflow that may benefit the most from the external exhaust.

The external exhaust cards typically have those squirrel cage fans that have to spin very fast to get good airflow and they can make a lot of noise once they get going.

The other card has a standard fan that can typically move a lot of air without making too much noise. But they mostly circulate the air inside the case and don't vent much of it out.

Would liquid cooling play any sort of factor into this or just the cooling solutions for the actual cards themselves? (yes I know I should be more up on the current tech) I'm not sure which version of the EVGA 460 1gig SC I'll be getting but now after reading this thread it makes me glad I opted for liquid cooling and in general maxxing out the available case fan slots. Especially more so running 2 with SLI.

I guess it depends where the radiator is mounted and how you're directing the airflow. It seems like a liquid cooled configuration would result in lower ambient case temps and make it more ideal for a non-external exhaust card.

I guess it depends where the radiator is mounted and how you're directing the airflow. It seems like a liquid cooled configuration would result in lower ambient case temps and make it more ideal for a non-external exhaust card.

Makes sense, kinda what I was figuring. Hopefully they install all the monitoring programs that come with the cards, though I s'pose I could find them easily enough on EVGA's site given they allow OEM customers access to download them.

the regular heat sinks places a normal fan in the center and it blows air through the vents in all directions, expelling the hot air into the pc case. The EE shroud seals the edges and puts a fan that has the fins on the edge and the end of the card. this sucks in the air and blows it along the full lenth of the card and then out the slot in the back of the pc. The fan type use in EE is probably a little louder then the normal one. thankfully it dosn't need to speed up much. The heatsink might also be a little hotter due to air traveling the full length of the card, but in the end the heat dosnt transfer back into the pc case which is double-good!

In the case of the 460 though the card really doesn't get that hot even under load so your case could probably deal with the heat as long as it has good ventilation. Heck under load it's probably cooler than most old G80s at idle! For SLI I'd probably suggest the external exhaust though.

Yeah did not realize the ram had no heatsinks on the other versions. Definitely a negative for overclocking. But you can buy some for cheap and put them on yourself. From what I've seen the core temps on these are a good deal lower than the EE version.